The “Bennifer” reunion was the big headline of 2021, but now in early 2023, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are a settled married couple. It only took them 20 years and two engagements to get there.
Their first round began in 2002, after they starred in that year's romcom, Gigli. Affleck eventually proposed to J.Lo, but they broke things off in 2004. Since then, they both went on to marry other people, have kids, and get divorced. They've also both dated other people since those divorces. A month after she ended things with Alex Rodriguez, Lopez was linked romantically to Affleck once more, in May 2021. They were married in the summer 2022 and are still enjoying their first year of being newlyweds.
In early 2002, Lopez and Affleck met on the set of Gigli. Lopez was married to her second husband Cris Judd at the time of their connection.
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By mid-year, Judd and Lopez were separated, and she filed for divorce two days after she was spotted kissing Affleck at her surprise 32nd birthday party. This was their first moment of being romantically linked in public.
Affleck makes a memorable appearance in J.Lo’s “Jenny from the Block” music video, which recreates some of the issues facing the superstar such as constantly dodging paparazzi when you're in a highly-publicized relationship. In one scene, Affleck caresses J.Lo's butt, an image became a frequent topic of conversation.
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Lopez told PEOPLE in 2016, "I really felt like when I met Ben, 'Okay, this is it."
The duo quickly became one of the biggest couples in Hollywood and one of the first to receive a hybrid couple name: "Bennifer."
In a November 2002 interview with Diane Sawyer, Lopez revealed her engagement to Affleck, describing it as "traditional, but also in a very spectacular way, as of course Ben would do it … it was very, very beautiful."
PEOPLE reported at the time that Affleck proposed with a custom-made Harry Winston pink-diamond solitaire ring he chose himself.
In her interview with Sawyer, Lopez described her then-fiancé as "brilliantly smart … Loving. Charming. Affectionate," adding that her mother approved.
"And I just admire him in every way," she said.
She also acknowledged that some people viewed their relationship as unlikely, but pointed out that she and the actor had bonded over similar upbringings.
"We've talked about this so many times, and we talked about how people kind of see him with … one type of person and me with another type of person, and the two of us together is like, 'How did that happen?'" she said.
Lopez added, "And how we're probably more alike and from the same kind of background … same kind of upbringing and same kind of family and same kind of house."
Heading into 2003, Lopez and Affleck were one of the most popular Hollywood couples to appear in the tabloids and were infamously hounded by the paparazzi.
Lopez even acknowledged their notoriety in the music video for her song "Jenny from the Block," which featured paparazzi shots of herself and Affleck doing everything from pumping gas to lounging on a yacht together.
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"We didn't try to have a public relationship," Lopez told PEOPLE in 2016. "We just happened to be together at the birth of the tabloids, and it was like 'Oh my God.' It was just a lot of pressure."
“They want to get back to work and are looking forward to the strikes being over but they are also very much enjoying the more time they are spending with each other,” the source said. “[Affleck] is writing, JLO is writing music, so they still have outlets to create while they enjoy each other's time together.”
Lopez spoke to ELLE.com about her relationship with Affleck when discussing her Intimissimi collection. When asked if he influences her lingerie style at all for her nights out with him, she said, “Honestly, there’s no difference really from how I dress for a date night or special occasion with my husband versus how I dress for myself.
He loves me for who I am, and so the more authentic I can be to myself I’ve noticed the more I feel his love. I dress for my own confidence and for what makes me feel good and that radiates when I love how I feel and what I put on my body. It’s that energy that makes people gravitate towards you, not the outfit specifically.”